POWER COMMANDER

[Melvyn Pearson]

i Know this was posted before but there was little input from anyone who had actually fitted a Power Commander to the Bird, the fuel injected version as opposed to the carbbed one.

Has anyone fitted one with after market cans.
Was there a recognisable difference
Does it not really matter if you are only travelling at normal speeds
Any info / ecperience appreciated before I waste the ?200 or whatever they cost.:h

 

[Samster]

Hi Mel - hope you're well.................I'm no expert but here's my understanding..............

A PowerCommander is used only on fuel injected machines......

If you whack new cans on a carbed bike you may develop an annoying flat-spot in the rev range and the bike may run lean and hot............you can sort this by running it on a dyno and re-jetting the carbs, then running it on the dyno again............

On a bike with electronic fuel injection you have no carbs so when you change the end cans / the whole exhaust system or make any mechanical changes and this causes an upset you have no way of adjusting the fuelling to compensate.................until the powercommander came along.

PowerCommander is a box of electronic trickery that allows you to 're-program' the characteristics of the fuel injection. The idea being that when you move away from standard exhaust system you can tweak the injection system via the power commander in order to obtain the perfect mix of fuel and air from tickover through to the redline.

PowerCommander is made by Dynojet. They will have many pre-programmed 'maps' that you can download and whack into the unit - these maps are basically the curve of fuel against air at different revs and throttle positons. So if you have an injected 'bird with harris end cans there will be a map that you can download to your PC and then onto the unit that will give you the optimum fuelling for that combination.

As it happens I changed the end cans on my injected bike and according to the last dyno run the fuelling remained perfect...............I was just lucky................so I've not gone the power commander route...............which doesn't answer your question at all!

 

[Melvyn Pearson]

Thanks

Thanks for that
Very Informative
I have 2002 model b l u e
Have twin outlet Blueflame race cans fitted so I am sure there would be a mapping for that to ''insert'' into the Power Commander....Do yopu have a web site you can reccommend selling these or is there a cheaper place ...perhaps JAWS

 

[Samster]

Snap! I have a 2000 injected bird with twin port Blue flames and the fuelling remained fine without a powercommander. BHP went up from 139 at the wheel to 146...........saying that, it does feel a bit 'wooly' at very low revs - like under 2500 - I'm sure a powercommander would fix this but it seems like a load of hassle to me....................

 

[Samster]

Look at this

And this

 

[Melvyn Pearson]

BRILLIANT

Thanks fot the links...Good Stuff
Although now not sure if it is worth fitting due to what you say. What to you rate the Flames.....noisy or what. I previously owned a 1999 VFR 800Fi fitted with a DEVIL can and I thought that was loud until I got the bird back with the Blue Flame (tri colour Titanium) and they are loud. Althoug I had problem s having them fitted at the coonecting pipe , downpipe. But all fixed now.
Thanks again for the links...more overtime...more Beer quoits....less time on bike.....Mmmmmmmmmm

 

[Samster]

Haha - yeah the Bluies certainly are loud - nice and bassy at tickover.........

I also had a VFR800i - a '98 model - and fitted an austrailian high level can made by Staintune.........that sounded the absolute dogs bollocks...........nothing better than the sound of a V4 Honda through an open pipe - especially when you gave her a blip on the downchanges...............lovely..........

I would suggest that you take the bird to a dyno and let them run it...........as I mentioned, I found the cans made it a bit unresponsive at very low revs (sub 2500) but I never really use that part of the rev range so I'm not too fussed.................

 

[Wolfie]

hope you cut that bush back by now sam. and cut the grass as well.:m :f :yo:

 

[D.S.]

I agree with Sam.

My understanding is that it's not realy worth fitting a PCII if you've only changed the end cans. I fitted a pair of Akrapovics about a year ago and have only experienced positve gains. However, if you've fitted a whole system then I understand there are some gains to be made by fitting the unit both in increased power and economy 'cos as Sam has mentioned, the PCII essentialy re-maps the injection in line with whatever system you've fitted.

 

[Picquet]

You Guys are all talking about various end cans and their merits.

Has anyone also fitted a K&N air filter with after market cans ?

When I had my VFR800i, I fitted a K&N first and felt it let it breathe more freely. Later I put a Micron hi-level carbon can on it and again felt an improvement, it really seemed to spin up quicker, some of this `feeling` could have just been an illusion, due to the extra noise I guess. I did`nt get round to the Dyno thing so I don`t know if there was an actual improvement.

The general consensus of the VFR boys was that a Power Commander only had an effect at certain revs and it was said that the efi system could re-program it self, to a degree, to allow for the difference a K&N and some cans made. So it was deemed unnecessary to fit a Power Commander.

I have not yet done these mods to the Bird, I hav`nt decided which cans to use. Any recommendations folks ????

 

[Melvyn Pearson]

TWIN OUTLET

BLUEFLAME TWIN OUTLET look and sound the dogs b@||@>ks:yo: